Monday, October 29, 2012

Back in August, I recommended that
readers take a look at a video posted online by my friend, Bill Sams.If you haven’t watched it, check it out at www.epic2020.org.On the Epic web site, you’ll find links to
other sites of interest.

In the Epic 2020 video, Sams drew on
recent and current events to forecast a radically different environment for
higher education, by the year 2020.Regardless of your personal point of view, and certainly regardless of
what you want the future to be, I
think Sams captures trends that deserve attention.The video has been viewed over 40,000 times,
so lots of people are paying attention.

Now, Sams has posted a new video,
providing a “…concise view of what has already happened.”The video, which is a brief, Ted-type
lecture, leads to the conclusion that 2012 may actually be the tipping point,
following which traditional higher education will be forever changed.Check the video at http://epic2020.org/2012-the-tipping-point/.Again, agree of
disagree, but do not overlook the fact that Sams has essentially brought
together a summary of current events.

My own best guess remains that we will
see a variety of options for the pursuit of educational objectives.The challenge, however, will be for
individual institutions to identify a program niche, develop outstanding
services, control costs, and generate enough revenue to thrive.If an institution sticks primarily to
face-to-face delivery to residential students, then I think it will be
difficult to be successful.Indeed, far
too many institutions have a financial model that actually loses money on every
residential student.Without strong
endowments to support the financial loss, attracting new audiences is the only
hope of survival.

The strategic issues for branch
campuses are only modestly different than for main campuses, because branches
are more like main campuses than they are different.Delivery and packaging options are extremely
significant to diversification and the ability to respond to changing demands.

Check out the Sams videos
and consider how your campus or institution will attract sufficient enrollment
to stay successful.Of course, as I’ve
said before, even if traditional education does better than I think it will,
attracting new audiences will support even greater success and provide better
opportunities for your audience.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Early in my administrative career I
became interested in marketing.Before a
new campus dean and I were appointed, the campus had drifted toward the low end
of its enrollment cycle, which also contributed to a budget deficit. I don’t remember how I moved from thinking
about recruitment and retention to educating myself on marketing, but when I
did, I found a natural fit for a psychologist interested in social behavior.

I don’t want to overstate my own marketing
contribution, because we had staff working on marketing and advertising, and we
also used a local marketing firm.However, I did a lot of reading, and I talked with anyone I thought
could help us.I also think I brought
some leadership, in terms of linking marketing with academic and other
strategies.

The single most useful thing I did was
to create a marketing advisory committee, including several small business
executives.These folks gave me a master
class in marketing, and I’ll be forever grateful.I think we became relatively smart about our
work.Along the way, both at Ohio State
and at Ohio University, I learned some things.

First, I learned that any marketing effort
should be preceded by market research and followed by assessment of its
effectiveness.Some of this work isn’t
easy, but it is necessary, in order to manage limited resources.Relying on intuition is not nearly enough to
support decision-making, and I have seen many examples where habit and belief
were seriously disconnected from effectiveness, especially in my consulting
work.

I can’t go into detail, here, but your
best marketing options depend on the most cost effective way you can reach a
specific audience.Sometimes that is
through direct mail, but other times it will be online banner ads.Sometimes, in specific situations, it may even
be a billboard.Regardless, the goal
these days is to make sure the right people see your message and are drawn to
your web site to learn more.The web
site should not only provide important information, but also encourage your
prospects to get in touch.Once
prospects seek more information, you need a clear, reliable set of messages and
follow up contacts that move them through that well-known recruiting funnel.

Second, I learned that professional marketing
people are creative and have real knowledge.In particular, they provide design skills that are well beyond the ability
of most of us.Nevertheless, you still
need to reserve final approval for yourself, if you are in charge.As the client, presumably you know how any
given marketing effort relates to other elements of your enrollment strategy.

Finally, I learned that my
role, as a leader, was to keep us focused on strategy and target
audiences.For example, the best of us can
be drawn to the latest “sexy” ways to advertise, but thinking strategically and
programmatically is essential.Otherwise,
you’ll risk spreading dollars thinly and miss the best opportunities.Effective marketing is too rare, but it is a
sweet thing, when it is done right.

About Me

For more than 30 years, at two universities, I worked with branch campuses in a variety of roles, as a faculty member, campus associate dean, campus dean, and chief administrator of a five-campus system. After that work, I spent a few years leading the development of distance learning programs, further expanding my experience with programs for adult learners.
Now, I am Vice President Emeritus for University Outreach, at Ohio University, and working as a consultant, executive coach and meeting facilitator. I still enjoy exploring the challenges and opportunities at branch campuses, as well as working with institutional leaders on the development of innovative programs. In March, 2014 I published "Out on a Limb: A Branch Campus Life," available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions.
Please visit my web sites, at www.drcharlesbird.com and at www.encoredreams.com. I can be reached through the web sites or at bird@ohio.edu.